What Type of Internet Do You Have at Home?

Fiber is truly the fastest, most reliable, and most high-tech internet around. Unlike internet connections like cable and DSL, it doesn’t rely on older or potentially outdated communications infrastructure. Instead, it carries data over light signals through its own spiffy network of fiber-optic cabling.

That makes fiber incredibly powerful and fast, capable of reaching up to 10,000 Mbps (although 1,000 Mbps is far more common). It also lets you take advantage of symmetrical internet speeds, boosting uploads to 10 times the speed of what you normally could get otherwise. This way you can upload enormous video files, do Zoom video-conferencing, and complete other upload-heavy tasks with fast speeds and no interruptions.

But fiber also costs more than what you’d usually get from a cable or DSL plan. And the networks are less widespread, so it’s not as readily available.

Pros:

• Efficient connections
• Symmetrical upload and download speeds

Cons:

• Less availability
• Higher prices

Cable internet is reliable, fast, and pretty much ubiquitous. It runs over the coaxial wiring of a cable company, so you can usually bundle it with cable TV plans or streaming options. It’s limited to a maximum download speed of 1,200 Mbps, which is still ridiculously fast, but it lacks the symmetrical speeds of fiber. And it has a much wider range of speeds available compared to DSL, so you have more speed tiers to choose from.

Cable internet can slow down during peak hours since your service draws from a neighborhood-wide network. Cable also tends to feature seasonal price hikes, so your bill can go up after a year or two of service. But cable companies are usually game to negotiate, so don’t be afraid of calling up your provider and asking for a promotional hookup if it’s time for your bill to go up.

Pros:

• Fast speeds
• Frequent promo offers

Cons:

• Lengthy contract requirements
• Slower speeds during peak hours

Instead of photons zooming through fiberglass or signals beaming across the latest telecom protocols, DSL internet carries data over the old-school wiring of a landline phone network. That makes DSL many times slower than cable or fiber—and the signal gets even weaker as you get farther away from the main network.

But if you can get 25 Mbps on DSL or faster in your area, you’re pretty much good to go. You won’t be able to rely on it for uploading terabyte-sized film projects to YouTube or doing Netflix movie marathons in 4K resolution. But you can still stream in HD, surf social media, and do plenty of other stuff with minimal issues as long as you live in a small household.

DSL is as widely available as cable. And DSL plans are fairly straightforward when it comes to pricing, so it can be a good option if you need Wi-Fi at a cheap price with minimal fuss.

Pros:

• Wide availability
• Straightforward pricing

Cons:

• Slower speeds
• Inconsistent performance depending on area

5G is built on the latest generation of wireless technology, which promises superspeeds of 1,000 Mbps and faster with minimal buffering. But 5G networks are still in the process of coming together, so it may be a few years before 5G home internet becomes a properly viable internet type. Right now availability is very limited, as most wireless companies are focusing on cell phone service. Also, the technology works best in densely-populated areas, so 5G rollouts are mostly focused around towns and cities, for now at least.

Providers like Starry Internet do offer 5G fixed wireless service in some small markets, though—so it’s worth running a search to see if it’s available in your area. Otherwise you will have to access 5G over a phone or hotspot, which requires that you get a 5G device.

Pros:

• Fast speeds
• Low latency

Cons:

• Limited availability since it’s new technology
• High barrier to entry since it requires an expensive 5G device

4G LTE internet gives you a Wi-Fi connection over a 4G wireless network. It’s what you get when you use the internet data on your phone or a mobile hotspot. But lately it’s also evolved into an option for home internet with the launch of services like Verizon’s 4G LTE Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet.

Although the speeds can be inconsistent—since they depend on where you are in relation to the nearest cell tower—4G LTE internet still has some perks, including an affordable price and availability in rural areas. It’s an excellent alternative to satellite internet, since it gives you faster speeds and a lot more data. Cellular carriers are gearing up to expand 4G LTE home internet service nationwide over the next few years, so keep a look out if it’s available in your area.

Pros:

• Available in remote areas where 5G isn’t
• Faster than satellite internet (and has more data too)

Cons:

• Slower than fiber and cable internet
• Hard to find because it’s new technology

Fixed wireless technology delivers internet over radio signals beamed to an antenna console that you install in your home. It’s not a particularly common internet type, but it does come in handy in cities with bad internet service and in rural areas where your only other option is satellite internet, which tends to be slower and cost more.

That said, fixed wireless internet will still give you slower speeds and less data for the money compared to cable, DSL, and fiber providers. You’ll likely also have limitations when it comes to monthly data usage. But fixed wireless is usually offered by smaller internet providers, so that means you can get more personalized customer service experience.

Pros:

• Great rural option
• Cheaper than satellite internet

Cons:

• Limited coverage
• Monthly data caps

Satellite internet works by beaming a signal down from satellites in space. That means you can get satellite internet basically anywhere in the US. But it also means your internet will be fairly slow because your signal has to travel literally to space and back again—a distance that could span up to 1,200 miles one way—to reach your computer, tablet, or phone.

Satellite internet could get a lot more spectacular in the near future as companies like SpaceX race to launch LEO (low-Earth orbit) satellites into the cosmos to provide improved speeds and reduced latency. Until then, we recommend satellite internet as a fallback if you can’t get any other type of internet service.

Pros:

• Nationwide availability
• Potential for growth with new tech

Cons:

• Slow speeds and high latency
• Low data limits